French Invasion or Buonaparte Landing in Great Britain', 1803

Coloured engraving by James Gillray, 1803

This was the first of several invasion prints by Gillray following the resumption of war between Britain and France in 1803. It shows a Royal Artillery battery repelling Napoleon's troops. The spate of prints that dealt with the threatened invasion was accompanied by broadsides and other propaganda designed to encourage patriotic sentiment and the recruitment of volunteers.